Kuppy and Eizer Bachurim

Kuppy is back again. Heartrenching video at:

Kuppy

Coming of Age

Back in the early 1970s, there was very little variety of Jewish music and books. There was Carlebach, Pirchei, and Ohr Chodosh to name a few. There was the Mitzvah Tree series and the 613 Torah Avenue series for children. Regarding Jewish reading material, there was Lehman and others, but few and far between. The Jewish Observer ZTL and Olomeinu were among the few existent periodicals.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the proliferation of Jewish music and literature exploded exponentially. “A new tape comes out every week” noted Abie Rotenberg is his classic “Yeshivishe Reid” song. One can argue whether this expansion was the cause of the Artscroll revolution, or the effect. One can also argue whether “Seforim Superstores” were the cause or the effect. I once heard someone claim that it was Artscroll who built the Flatbush Eichler’s from a one-storefront into a three-storefront behemoth.

In any event, it seems that the Jewish entertainment world has caught up with society at large. More and more Jewish book publishers join the market every year, more and more Jewish singers abound, and, as noted in a previous post, the Jewish video market seems to be emerging from infancy.

Kein Yirbu

Hakaras Hatov

The traffic to this site has increased exponentially over the last few days. A little investigation reveals two things:

Yiddishreport.com put up a link to the Yankel post.

Someone left a comment on onthemainline.blogspot.com, which linked to the Yankel post.

Thank you.

Someone else left a comment saying that the video of Rabbi Miller on apples is a Chillul Hashem. If anyone can explain why, please do so in the comments.

Yankel Am Ha'aretz

Back in 1985, the first Journeys album was released, marking a new era in Jewish music. Following in the successes of the Megama Duo, Abie Rotenberg embarked on a relatively new path in Kiruv, composing original compositions using English lyrics which convey the warmth and beauty of Jewish life.

Five years later, Journeys released their second album which featured the classic hit “Yankel”. As we close out 2009, Middos Productions has produced an hour long film built on this song, which will be the focus of this post.

Yankel Am Ha’aretz, written and directed by the talented Yoel Waxler, is a powerful story of hope. This is a movie that can be appreciated at all age levels.

While this low budget DVD does not rival professionally produced full length films, It is a huge leap in that direction. It opens up with a panoramic view of NYC’s skyline, bathed in lights. The haunting melody of “Yankel” plays in the background, as the sweet voice of Country Yossi adds an extra dimension to an already fabulous video.

The photography is superb. In one scene we are able to catch the sun’s rays as they pass through the windows on one side of the plane and out the other. Another scene shows the Kosel filling up and emptying out in speed-motion. All in all, the photography in Eretz Yisroel is amazing, it makes one feel as if he is really there, attending Yeshiva with Yankel.

The melodies are all beautiful and interspersed throughout the film at the most opportune moments. Abie’s Luley Soiroscha and the classic Kad Yasvin Yisroel as well as several guitar scenes add much to the viewing pleasure.


As for critique:

Several times the real name of Hashem is spoken in shul.

The boys who bother Yankel are not reprimanded for their behavior.

Yankel’s beard looks very fake.

The viewer is not explained as to how Yankel overcomes his pyrophobia.

Even though this story takes place in Brooklyn “about a dozen years ago", they miraculously have the Hebrew ArtScroll Chumash which was only published first in 2004.

Bottom Line: Run to your local store and buy it. It is something that the entire family can enjoy. You will want to watch it more than once.

Play Together - Stay Together

The Chanukah edition of the Yated had a beautiful article written by Rabbi S. Binyomin Ginsberg regarding playing games with family. “The Family that Plays together – Stays Together”. Using his unscientific study, he came to the conclusion that families that spend time with each other have strong success in remaining a cohesive unit. Please sit down with your family this Chanukah and not only play Dreidle, but keep the flame burning all year long by designating one night a week as “family night” or “game night” .


How about some nanach dreidle?

The Universe Testifies - Rabbi Avigdor Miller and Apples

There is another blog that professes to offer Authentic Judaism. I am not sure how much of that blog is actually Rabbi Miller speaking, as at least one commenter has mentioned that Rabbi Miller would disassociate himself from such writings. In any event, there exists on Youtube this oldie but goodie. For those who have never seen it, enjoy.

Terror In Black September

Terror In Black September


I came across the very fascinating book "Terror in Black September" by David Raab. This book was published in 2007, 37 years after the famous hijackings of airplanes to Amman, Jordan.

The author (also a captive) went to great lengths to recapture the trauma and history of the entire process of the captives who waited out the 3 week process amidst the civil war raging in Jordan.

While we all know that the story had a happy ending, what I find remarkable is the amount of "talent" on the plane. Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner, was the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin. His proteje, Rabbi Yaakov Drillman went on to a distinguished career also at Chaim Berlin and then on to become Rosh Yeshiva of Novordok.

Rabbi Yonoson David, succeeded Rabbi Hutner as Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Pachad Yitzchok in Jerusalem. His wife, Bruriah, is the founder of the very successful BJJ seminary in Jerusalem.

Also on the plane were the Harari-Raful brothers, with Chacham Yosef going on to become a Rosh Yeshiva in the Brooklyn Sefardic community, and an esteemed member of the Moetzes Council of Torah Sages.

Rabbi Meir Fund is a renowned American rabbi, Kabbalist, and spiritual leader of Congregation Shevas Achim in Brooklyn, New York.

These are just a handful of the names that I recognized from the narrative. I am sure that the other passengers went on to successful careers, only that I am not familiar with them.

It is mind-boggling to think that all of these people might not have gone on to their respective positions. I wonder if the harrying episode might have propelled them to greatness.

Update: Matzav posted this summary of the book today.
Terror in Black September summary

Mishpacha Magazine

There exists one blog Authentic Judaism on the far right spectrum that lately has been attacking Mishpacha magazine . He has not given explicit examples yet as to what he finds so objectionable, other than mentioning one columnist whom he feels gives a negative slant towards a Kollel lifestyle.

I have heard similar murmurings in the past when Mishpacha printed material that was considered negative towards Chabad. I heard the same when Mishpacha printed material that was pro Chabad.

All in all, my opinion is that there is no way to please everybody. No matter what you print, someone will find it objectionable. It is up to every parent to decide what literature to bring into their home. Mishpacha broadens the horizons of its readers. For those who prefer to remain insular, please petition the Agudah to resuscitate the Jewish Observer.

Rabbi Sherer

Some time ago this blog discussed the need for an organization such as Agudath Israel of America. Agudah and the rock In the past week I have been reading the biography of Rabbi Moshe/Morris Sherer, the leader and primary builder of the Agudah. This book is fascinating in several regards. Primarily, it enables the reader to relive the headlines of years gone by, albeit with an insider's view.

Secondly, this book is not the standard hagiography that one might expect. I would compare this offering to the Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch biography, also by ArtScroll, which leans more on the academic side, complete with index and footnotes. I plan a series of posts, as this book is packed with so much information, more than one post can handle.

All in all, this book is very inspiring, making me almost wish I had the time and resources to do similar work to make life easier for the Jewish People.

Free Hard Drive Offer From HebrewBooks.org

hebrewbooks.org



By now I'm sure you can tell I am a huge fan of the HebrewBooks.org website. The following add was placed in this week's Yated on page 147:

Attention Kollels. Get a free Hard Drive with 40,000 seforim (HebrewBooks.org) for your Kollel. Fax name of Kollel, address, tel & name of Rosh Kollel to 718.504.5090

UPDATE: THIS OFFER IS NO LONGER VALID!!!!

Project Inspire

HolyMan?

Once upon a time there was Shlomo Carlebach’s music. Today there are so many singers, all copying the contemporary rock and roll beat. I once heard Shlomo say on a radio interview that his music was unadulterated, as he didn’t listen to pop music. Lately, many recordings of Reb Shlomo have surfaced on the internet. Some of these clearly have RSC singing the songs of his day. Obviously, for someone who spent much of his time on college campuses, I find it hard to believe that he could have been totally immune to American pop culture.

Although I own a copy of Reb Shlomo singing SinnerMan, I wasn't able to find a copy available on the internet.

Out of the heart of RBS comes this gem. It seems that this song really has it’s roots in the Gemara Avoda Zara 17a. Maybe the tune also has Jewish roots afterall. Presenting Shlomo Katz and Reb Lazer Brody - SinnerMan. Enjoy.



Only positive comments will be posted.

Shockwave meets Alice

Realistic Alice in Wonderland


The following website requires shockwave. Those who have it installed already or are willing to install it can reap the rewards. I hope that one day hebrewbooks.org will be able to provide this service to make learning seforim more realistic and enjoyable.

Internet Parenting Resource

I have discovered another wonderful web resource that I’d like to share. Doctor Sorotzkin These lectures and essays are must reading for today’s parents. Please download and import to your IPODS.

My favorite story is told by DS about 2 identical twins that were adopted by different families. Psychologists studying Nature vs. Nurture visited both sets of parents. Mother “A” complained how difficult mealtime was. “She makes us put cinnamon on her cottage cheese, cinnamon on her bread, cinnamon on her meatballs! She is a very difficult child”. Mother “B” said that her child was a dream child, she has no problems with her. So they asked her, “What about mealtime”? “Oh, not a problem at all, just put cinnamon on her food and she’ll eat anything”!

DS explains that this is why parenting classes usually fail. Parenting classes teach techniques, but it is ATTITUDE that makes all the difference.

Mechaye Hameisim, YouTube and Internet II

Lifeofrubin Blog
has discovered some beautiful video of The London School of Jewish Song back in the Glasnost era. It is a real pleasure to behold a young Yigal Calek, large eyeglasses and a real piano (remember the days before keyboards?) in the BBC studio. Baruch Mechaye Hameisim is what I say whenever I come across wonderful memories of yesteryear.

Who can forget Moshe Yess and Zeidy? Art Raymond (a WEVD radio personality who had a Jewish Music Show in the days before Nachum Segal) said that this was the most requested song of his era. Zeidy

But I still await daily for the show of all shows, Moshiach to arrive and bring us home. I will then watch the events unfold on my Dick Tracy watch.

Hebrewbooks.org and the Internet II

Amazing. The hebrewbooks.org website keeps getting better and better. They now have several video tutorials available to maximize your use of their website. Please avail yourself of these links.

hebrewbooks tutorials




Also, please see this link for for a mega-link site of Jewish scholarship.
Disclaimer: Not all links are recommended.



Mega Links


Hat tip: Fred Macdowell

Catch 22

A great dilemma exists when opening a blog. Do you post your best ideas while you are still a freshman, or do you wait until the readership expands?

On another note, the masthead has been updated to reflect the policy of this blog which endeavors to discuss Jewish ideas and the Internet, while avoiding derogatory talk about either.

Wisdom of the Rabbi II

Can you please do me a favor and deliver this letter to my relative in Yerushalayim? These words are often spoken as soon as it becomes known that one is travelling to the Holy Land. Soon you will have a suitcase packed with correspondence, baked goods, tuna-fish and just about everything else imaginable.

This will bring the suitcase count to four, as one great Rosh Yeshiva of a bygone error quipped: “When you travel to Eretz Yisrael you need to bring along three suitcases. One filled with your clothing, one full of dollars and the last one full of patience”.

When I once mentioned to one of my sagacious rebbeim that I was going to send a letter to Yerushalayim via person-mail he gently chided me saying “Why don’t you do yenem a tovah and mail it!"

As the great song-writing singing rabbi quoted in the name of the Piaseczna Rebbe: “Kinderlach, taire kinderlach, my most precious children, gedenkst shon, remember, die greste sach in die velt ist, tun emetzin a tova. Children, precious children, just remember the greatest thing in the world is to do somebody else a favor. ” The Holy Hunchback

Wisdom of the Rabbi I

When I entered the dating scene, I spoke with one of my rebbeim and asked him what I need to find out about the prospective girl. His wise words went something like this: “You aren’t going to find out much about who the girl is – you are going to find out who YOU are”.

As this blog completes it’s 3rd week, I look back now at those insightful words, and I think that the same applies to blogging. The more I blog, the more I discover who I really am.

Mechaye Hameisim, YouTube, Internet and Time

Part of the beauty of this whole internet thing is the many YouTube video clips. In researching the previous post, I was amazed at the amount of video that was lying dormant all these years and has now been resurrected for the world to enjoy.

While some people post the video clips to earn their five minutes of fame, some are doing this totally Letoeles Harabim.


All those concerts of the great stars of yesteryear are now a click away. While viewing concerts years ago was offset by affordability, travel and time, nowadays the only impediment is time. This certainly is reason to pause and reflect on finding better uses for one’s time.

“How To” clips abound which can teach you how to change a radiator on a ’56 Chevy or how to play a musical instrument.

But my favorite part of the video revolution is the Mechaye Hameisim aspect. Dead people coming to life. The giants of yesteryear are suddenly alive; walking, speaking and gesturing. One can view the great rabbinic scholars of Jerusalem. One can view the great Chassidic Masters and their courts in pre-war Europe.

As the end of days looms closer and closer, let us pause and reflect on how our generation is privileged to live in the past in addition to the present. Let us use our time wisely as we step into the future.

Spi-Ritual Gas - Carlebach Style

This blog attempts to discuss ideas, not people. Yet some people are in reality institutions, hence they are the exception to the rule. This week marks the 15th Yahrtzeit of Reb Shlomo Carlebach and therefore I felt that a few words were in order.

Reb Shlomo dominated the Jewish music world for almost half a century. His music permeated every area of the globe. His golden heart was as legendary as his melodies. His globetrotting made the basketball team from Harlem look like pikers in comparison.

Yet, once a year, deep within the bowels of the Lower East Side Reb Shlomo performed an unpublicized free concert for Yeshiva Bochurim only. Many Yeshivas on the East Coast were represented with a carefully handpicked few.

Reb Shlomo would then entertain far into the night with his unique singing and story telling. His wit was also on display. I remember one year him asking why Avrohom Avinu did not move into Sedom and open a Shul – Anshei Sedom…to be Mekarev the sinners there.

But what was different about this concert from all others was, in Reb Shlomo’s words, to benefit HIM and not US. “All year long I am running around the world, but once a year I need to stop and fill up on gas. The Yeshiva Bochurim are the gas that keeps me going for the rest of the year”.

And so this past Shabbos, I made it my business to attend a “Carlebach Minyan”. While such Minyanim are not necessarily my style, nevertheless, I think that it behooves us all to fill up on spi-Ritual gas – at least once a year.

Fan is short for Fanatic II

The Yankees are once again sitting on top of the baseball world. I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into the local Yeshiva during Night Seder and found a packed house. Either these young men have no interest in sports, or they never heard of Rav Sheinberg.

Alas, my spirit was somewhat tempered when on the way home from Maariv, I caught snippets of a Yeshiva Bochur ‘s cell phone conversation. “The Phillies are marching back”.

It seems like some people live up to the definition of fan. They are fanatically intertwined in the sports world. One Chupa was delayed last night to allow guests to watch the game.The EPA records quick drops of water pressure citywide between innings. What is it about sports that creates this fanaticism?

What does it mean to you personally if your town wins a championship? Who cares who can hit a ball further? I don’t know. But right now it feels good to live in the Empire State.

Fan is short for Fanatic

Over at Matzav.com, there is a nice “rant” against using Rav Scheinberg as an excuse for following professional sports. While the author makes some good points, I’d like to score some points of my own.

http://matzav.com/the-matzav-rant-dont-blame-rav-scheinberg-for-your-interest-in-the-yankees

Here is the money quote:


“When you write a monumental sefer like the Mishmeres Chaim or brilliant volumes like the Tabaas Hachoshen, authored by Rav Scheinberg,” I told the boys, “you can ‘blame’ Rav Scheinberg for your listening to the Yankees. For now, however, listen or follow if you feel you need the outlet, but leave Rav Scheinberg out of it. When you talk about Rav Scheinberg, better focus on his gadlus in Torah. Enough with Rav Scheinberg and the Yankees.”


There seems to be a push nowadays to label everything not associated with learning as Batallah. If children can point to a Gadol who invested some of his youth in “Batallah”, yet still became great, it would alleviate some of stress of childhood and allow kids to be kids.

One of the attractions to MOAG, was the theme that people are not born angels. One could have a normal childhood, run and play ball, and still rise to become a Gadol. Some argue that putting the Gedolim on too high a plateau makes it harder for youth to aspire to Gadlus, thinking such goals are unreachable.


So thank you, Rav Scheinberg, for preserving youth for our youth.

Pictures and Blogging

“A picture is not worth a thousand words – it’s worth a million dollars!”.

This week’s Mishpacha magazine yields the above quote in their article featuring advertising.

I’ve been toying recently with Blogger’s picture-embed feature. I’m sure that you’ve noticed that it certainly does add an extra dimension to the blog. Yet I am not completely satisfied with several choices, most notably the Tower of Bavel.

One thing I am proud of is my decision to never watch “The Ten Commandments”. Torah leaves so much to the imagination, that I never wanted to subject myself to someone else’s version of how Moshe looked. I don’t need someone else’s depiction of Egyptians implanted in my brain. The imagery provided by Rashi, my parents and Rebbeim will suit me just fine.

The Internet and the Future of Learning

The last post dealt with the online resource Hebrewbooks.org. There are other sites which feature manuscripts online and huge resources of ancient Seforim. Even the behemoth Google has a vast array of online books.

What I’d like to discuss here is the future of learning. As we enter the digital age, I foresee a time when the computer will be a familiar sight in the Beis Medrash. In the not so distant future, I picture a wide screen atop each Shtender with digital or PDF versions of all Seforim ever printed.

Imagine you are learning Chulin. You would choose from Tzuras Hadaf or digital versions, whatever suits you best. If you mouse-over any given word, you will be able to link to the Rishonim, Acharonim, Rambam, Shulchan Aruch etc. You will be learning Tosfos, and you won’t need to get out of your seat to find the Gemara quoted, a simple click will bring up the relevant text. You will be able to access medical tomes and encyclopedias to better understand the intricacies of Eilu Treifos.

If you don’t understand something, you will send an instant message to your Chaver across the room. You might even IM your Rebbe, if protocol allows.

If a pandemic hits, you might sit at home and access the Shiur live online, or download it to view at your convenience. You will be able to review the Shiur as long as it takes to understand it. No Rebbe will need to say over a Shiur 400 times.

Talmidim who are proficient will type their notes as the Rebbe speaks. Others will use dictation software if their typing skill are lacking. Jewish themed Youtubes will abound with Shiurim from all the great Roshei Yeshiva. Kinaas Sofrim will ensure that the quality of these lectures be superb.

Anyone with worthwhile Chiddushim will publish their writings on peer reviewed blogs. Anti-plagiarism software will ensure that each thought is unique.

Please add your ideas of the futuristic Bais Mesrash in the comments.

Internet and Technology at Hebrewbooks.org

You are at work and you want to look up a Rashba on Baba Kamma. You are on vacation and you don’t want to carry all your Seforim with you. You need to look up a Sefer, but your Shul or Yeshiva library doesn’t own it. You are doing research and you need to look up a reference in an obscure Sefer printed in the 18th century.

One of the best kept secrets of the Internet is hebrewbooks.org

This post is dedicated to Rabbi Rosenberg and all those who assist him in his endeavor to make Seforim available to the public anywhere in the world, at any time.

What started out as a project to save from oblivion the Seforim printed in America has blossomed into a virtual library of some 40,000 titles, literally at one’s fingertips. Hebrewbooks.org offers free of charge access to PDF’s of almost any Sefer imaginable. A search feature is included, in addition to a virtual keyboard. You can download any Sefer you want to peruse at your convenience. There is even a link to Amazon.com, where you can choose to have the Sefer of your choice printed, bound and shipped for a nominal fee.

Another amazing feature is the commentaries on the Rambam. You can choose any Halacha of the Rambam and see at a glance which Meforshim comment, and the digital text of what they say. This is a huge time saver, precluding the need to open up the various commentators.

Recently another section has been added to the site, which enables one to quickly see which Meforshim are available for any given page in Shas. Another new feature enables one to search the Shu”t Seforim for a Siman, rather than a page number.

You can search by author, you can search by title. You can even do an OCR search. The neatest feature shows the title page when you mouse-over the entry. Suppose there are several Seforim with the same name. Or even the same Sefer from different years. This quickly allows you to find what you need.

I’ve said in the past that in all good lies some evil. There is no evil on this website.

Disclaimer: I have no connection whatsoever to Hebrewbooks.org.

Moetzes, Agudah and The Rock

There has been discussion recently on other blogs whether the Agudah is a worthwhile organization. While all agree that they certainly were very successful in the post WWII years in aiding refugees, setting up summer camps and the like, some have questioned what role they play today.

I glanced at their yearly calendar to get a feel for what services they offer. COPE, Professional Career Sevices, Daf Yomi, Advocacy and Civic Action, Pichei and B’nos for youth, Invei Hagefen for shidduchim, Bikur Cholim, and the Benevolent Society, just to name a few. Although one may not necessarily be worried that he will be fired for not working late Friday, the very fact that Agudah exists serves as a deterrent for employers. In my opinion, there definitely seems to be an abundance of good emanating from 42 Broadway.

The name “Agudah” by definition is one of their better successes. True that there are fringe elements on the left and on the right, but Agudah has managed to conglomerate the majority of the Yeshiva World and speak through their Moetzes, with one voice. Serving on the Moetzes leaves very little personal time. It is much easier to lock oneself in the Bais Medrash and study all day. Yet these rabbis shoulder the public burden 24x7. My hat is off to them.

Calling for an end to their reign reminds me of The Rock

In these lyrics, Harry Chapin eloquently describes this phenomenon. To summarize, a little boy “cries wolf” that the huge rock hanging precariously over the town will fall. The elders laugh at him, but in the end, the boy sacrifices his own life to keep the rock from falling. It is very easy to criticize, but perhaps those bloggers should first spend a day in Lower Manhattan.

Disclaimer: I am not a member and have no association to Agudah whatsoever.

The G-dfather and the Internet

What do you do if you can’t find justice using the Judicial System? In Mario Puzo’s great novel, you visit the G-dfather, who metes out justice without a court of law. While one finds himself cheering for the victim who has finally seen closure, one must also look at the big picture to determine whether the G-dfather is to be applauded or loathed in our society.

The explosion of the jblogs in the last few years has exposed many skeletons which once lay dormant. The victims of years of wrongdoing no longer have to bear their silence. The Internet as the Great Equalizer has leveled the playing field. No longer does the little guy need a publishing house, an editor and a suitcase full of dollars. All he needs is a cause and five minutes on Blogger.

But in every good lies evil. That same champion of the little guy one day becomes big himself. That same layman who decries leadership finds himself in a leadership role. Think “Animal Farm” and “1984”. What will keep the new leadership honest? Are we better off now or five years ago?

A Man According to his Praise

To link or not to link: That is the question.

Mishlei/Proverbs Chapter 27 verse 21 reads like this:

A refining pot is for silver, and a crucible for gold, and a man according to his praises.

Rabbeinu Yonah explains that "One's character can be seen in the things he considers important enough to praise".

There is a somewhat difficult decision that must be made when owning a blog. Who gets a link and who doesn't?

There are many blogs which pertain to Orthodox Jewry yet they are critical in nature. Some written by orthodox bloggers and others not. I ask input from the readership whether they should be granted a link. On the one hand, It is easier to keep track of all that is going on in the jblogosphere if all bloggers are included, yet on the other hand, I don't want it assumed that the linked blogs are approved. Your comments are welcome.

Migdal Bavel and the Internet

Mankind once gathered to create a tower with intention to reach the heavens, overthrow G-d and take over the world. G-d thwarted their plans by creating disunity in language.

Continuing with our theme of technology's effect on Judaism, this notion causes me to reflect on the unifying power of the internet. The world wide web is an amazing force which has enabled great studies in research and invention. The entire world's libraries are now ensconced in my living room.

Yet with all this good comes evil. Men from all corners of the world are now able to find like-minded individuals for nefarious purposes. The great internet has become today's Tower of Bavel. People who used to harbor heretical thought felt isolated, thinking that they were the only ones. The internet has not only validated their thoughts, but easily and annonymously enables them to share them with others. Some even use blogs to ensnare young minds to think likewise.

So G-d sends us little warnings. Just as he perhaps created STD's and AIDS to keep one honest, so too maybe cyberspace viruses were created to put a damper on this activity.

Ultimately one will need to account for his thoughts and writings, as the archives of G-d are everlasting.

Blogs: The Last Frontier

Blogging: The Mind as the Last Frontier:



“All of your actions are written in G-d’s book, and when you die, you will watch a video of your life”.

“When Moshiach comes, the entire world will know it simultaneously”.

When we were young, these statements were accepted as an act of faith. Yet they were somewhat unbelievable. How could all our actions be written down? How could so much video be stored and retrieved on demand? How could video become so prevalent? How could the entire world see/know something simultaneously?

Yet nowadays, with the advent of the Computer, the Internet and YouTube, these once far-fetched scenarios have become a reality.
The Printing Press, the Railroad, the Automobile, the Radio, the Television, etc. All of these innovations have shrunk our world and allowed for continued improvement in communication and collaboration on yet even more complex inventions.

In Rav Shternbuch’s book, Rav Moshe speaks
an anthology of talks
by Mosheh Shṭernbukh
Published in 1988, Jewish Writers Guild (Jerusalem)

I once saw an interesting thought that I now extrapolate to explain this phenomenon. At Mount Sinai, all were believers. But as time went on, some slowly lost their Emunah. Each generation further removed from Sinai needs more assistance in retaining their belief. So whereas our forefathers believed with Emunah Peshutah that their actions were recorded, we need the reality of YouTube to allow our minds to encompass that reality.

Yet one arena has yet to be conquered. The Mind. We can now prove where you were and what you did. But what were you thinking? Did you harbor any heretical thoughts?

And that is how we arrive at Blogging, The Mind as the Last Frontier. Perhaps In a few short years everyone will have a blog in addition to their other social networking websites. Everyone will share their thoughts via their blog. Those who won’t type will simply dictate their thoughts to Blogger.

It is a scary thought indeed. But if history is a teacher, blogs are perhaps to become the antidote for today’s heretical thought.